


Much More Muchier

by detafo



Series: Muchier Chronicles [1]
Category: Alice in Wonderland (Movies - Burton)
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-03-18
Updated: 2019-08-17
Packaged: 2020-09-05 22:35:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 15,292
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20280955
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/detafo/pseuds/detafo
Summary: Alice returns to Underland to discuss a business opportunity which has arisen for her in Overland. What will Hatter say to her eventually leaving him again?[[cross-posted from FF.Net]]





	1. Return To Underland

"Excuse me, Miss Kingsley, but you have a telegram." The young man stood at the doorway of Alice Kingsley's study, proffering a piece of paper. "I was told it was urgent."

Alice took the piece of paper delicately. Skimming her eyes over the sparse words, she stood up suddenly.

"Joseph, ready my carriage. I must make haste to Ascot Manner."

"Certainly, ma'am." Joseph turned smartly on his heel and hurried to follow his orders.

Alice Kingsley, now twenty-three-and-a-half exactly, ran down the stairs in a most un-ladylike manner.

"Alice! Where are you going in such a hurry?" Her mother called as the woman raced past her.

"To Ascot Manner, mother. Lord Ascot has been injured and is asking for me."

"Oh, my!" Helen Kingsley gasped, a hand flying to her mouth. "I do hope he's all right."

"I shall find out, mother!" Alice replied, running out of the front door, toward the carriage that had just pulled up at the foot of the stairs. "Ascot Manner, Andrew! As fast as you can!" She said, giving the order to the coach man as she slammed the carriage door shut. The horses whinnied as they were whipped to speed. Alice held her hands together tightly. She hoped her old friend and master was all right.

333

Upon her arrival at Ascot Manner, Alice was met at the front door by the head butler, Charles.  
"They are waiting for you upstairs, Miss." Charles said, as she stepped into the foyer. Alice nodded her thanks and headed up the stairs and into the house. Once at the top of the main staircase, she was directed to the master living suite, where she found the Ascots – Lady Marilla, Hamish and his wife, Honoria. Marilla had tears in her eyes, her usual hard expression, softened with grief.

"He's in there, Alice…" She gestured to the door, raising her handkerchief to her eyes and dabbing them. Alice nodded and knocked softly on the door.

"Come in…" The voice was almost as soft as her knock. She entered the room, making her way over to the bed. "Ah… Alice…" Lord Henry Ascot smiled weakly from his pillows. "Please forgive an old man like me for not meeting you at the door."

"You're not old, sir." Alice said, taking one of his hands in both of hers. "What have you gone and done to yourself?"

"I haven't done anything." Henry sighed. "That blasted new horse is what did it. The stable hands told me he was broken in and the damned thing bucked me off."

"Oh, dear…" Shocked, Alice pressed her fingers to her lips. "Are you going to be all right?"

"No, dear Alice… the doctor says that the fall has broken my back. I cannot move from the chest downwards. Unfortunately, this is how I will remain until the end of my days."

"No!" Alice looked shocked. "But we have the company to think of, sir…"

"You have proved that you are more than capable of handling the company, Alice, which is what I wanted to talk to you about."

Alice tightened her hold around the old man's hand. "Me? Handling the company?"

"You're the only logical choice I can think of." Henry smiled. "You have your father's vision, Alice. You were the one who convinced me that we must take advantage of our foothold in China. And look where that has gotten us? A dozen footholds all around the world!"

"Well, I can say that I've gained my muchness over the years…" Murmured Alice.

"You muchness?"

"Oh, just something an old friend told me a long time ago." Alice looked up at the man and smiled. "Will you give me time to think about it, sir? I need to give it some proper thought."

"Alice? Giving something thought? Not rushing in with all swords held aloft?" Henry chuckled sightly. "All right, I'll grant you time to think it over. After all, this has become rather a shock. I need to get my affairs in order. Take as much time as you need."

Alice nodded and leant down to kiss the man's cheek. He'd been like a secondary father-figure to her since she was nine years old. She knew that he'd understand. Getting up from her seat, she smiled at the man, before leaving him be.

Exiting the room, she smiled at the questioning looks that Marilla, Hamish and Honoria were giving her. "I need to think things through." She said. With a farewell nod, she turned down the stairs and made her way to the gardens. Passing by her carriage, she looked up at the coachman. "Andrew, return home. Tell mother that I have been given a business opportunity that I need to think about. I will come home when I've thought it through."

"Yes, ma'am." Andrew answered, knowing well enough when his mistress wanted to be left on her own. Urging the horses on, he headed back toward Kingsley Manner on the other side of the lake. Alice watched him disappear around the corner before heading in the opposite direction toward the maze. Strolling leisurely through the hedged walls, she let her memory guide her out the opposite side, up the hill and toward the old, dead tree where she knew the rabbit-hole was situated. Walking around the opposite side of the tree, she knelt down beside the rabbit-hole and looked down. The crumbling dirt tunnel led down into the darkness, just as she had remembered. Situating herself so that her legs dangled over the edge, Alice looked around to make sure no gardeners or staff were around and pushed off from the side, letting herself fall into the blackness.

Wind rushed upward passed her face, blowing her skirt up around her. Passing dozens of books – many of which she remembered reading as a child – a bed, a piano that played her a welcoming tune, a tea set that was pouring itself for no one, several articles of clothing floated from here to there, and many dolls and soft toys danced about as though they were puppets on invisible strings. Alice braced herself for the impact she knew was coming. Sure enough, she crashed through the floor-ceiling of the rotating room. She noted in the back of her mind that her previous entry way had been fixed. Managing to crawl toward the wall before the room righted itself, Alice slid down the wall and landed on the original floor with much less force than she had on her previous visit to Underland.

Her heels clicking on the marbled floor, she walked toward the little table. There upon the glass surface was a tiny key, and a bottle of Pishsalver. Taking the key on one hand and swallowing a mouthful of the potion with the other, she coughed at the bitter taste. The world grew rapidly around her as her dress billowed around her. Tying her undergarments around herself with a length of ribbon, she made her way to the small door behind the curtain. Unlocking it, she smiled as it opened up on the beautiful garden.

There was a mighty _squawk_ on surprise as the Dodo was knocked off the steps and into a protesting clump of Daisies. Alice looked down sheepishly at the struggling bird.

"I'm terribly sorry, Uilleam!" She cried, racing down the stairs to help him up with the help of the Daisies. "I did not even realise you were there!"

"Quite alright, my dear girl." The Dodo exclaimed, grasping her hand between his wings. "So wonderful to see you have returned! To what do we owe this pleasure?"

"A mad person is allowed to visit her mad friends every once in a while, can she not?" Alice asked with a smile.

"By all means!" The Dodo replied. "You do remember the way to Thackery's house, I imagine? You do not need an escort?"

"I believe I know, Uilleam… if I get lost, I daresay Chessur will find and escort me."

"Quite right, my dear girl… when you are finished with taking tea and visiting the whos and whys and wheres, would you be so kind as to join me in a Caucus-race? I haven't enjoyed such finery since before the Red Queen began her tyrannical reign."

"I would be honoured." Alice agreed, curtseying as much as her tied up undergarments would allow. "You will of course make sure that everyone is there to participate?"

"Of course." The Dodo smiled. "Now hurry along, or you will be late for tea!"

Alice returned the smile, nodded and began down the beaten path – past Absolem's den, toward the signpost, into the forest and through the overgrown vines.

"You've returned, then?" A disembodied voice asked from Alice's left. She turned toward the source and smiled at the gap-toothed grin that was hanging in midair.

"Hello, Chess." She said softly, raising a hand to scratch the area when the cat's large forehead would be. A loud purr erupted from the grinning mouth and a pair of aqua-blue-green eyes appeared above it, lulled in a sated expression. "How have things been since I left?"

"As well as can be expected, I suppose…" The Cat replied as his body appeared lazily. "Tarrant and Thackery still take their tea at every hour of the day. "Mallymkun has edited the tale of Champion Alice to include herself being your second… nothing quite out of the extraordinary, if I do say so myself."

Alice chuckled. "Well in that case, I feel right at home." She smiled. "Would you care to escort me to the tea party, Chess?"

"My dear, I would be absolutely delighted." Chessur grinned widely, before taking to floating along side the girl. "Really, Alice… how long has it been?"

"It will be four years next week, I do believe." Alice said, knowing exactly what he was talking about without the need for clarification. "How is Mirana? And Bayard and Bandy and the Tweedles?"

"They are all quite well, so I'm told." The Cat replied evenly. He ran a paw across the old Bandersnatch scars on her arm. "How did you explain away this to those dull people up there?"

"I told them a half-truth." Alice chuckled. "I told everybody that I fell down a hole and hit my head."

"Really…" The Cat grinned once again. "Four years, you say? My, time does fly up there…"

"How long has it been down here, Chess?"

"Well, since Tarrant and Time have yet to make amends… I'd say it's been about a year and a half since graced us all with your Jabberwocky-slaying skills. Though, of course, I have been known to be wrong."

Alice laughed. "Well, at least you've learned to embrace that."

333

They came out into a clearing where a marvellous, multicoloured windmill stood. A tea table, set for at least two dozen people, was set out just beyond the front gate. At the head of the table sat a man with garish orange hair, an odd collection of colourful clothes and an enormous top hat.

"Hello, Hatter." Alice said as she came to the other end of the table. The head that held the hat bounced up from its position on the man's chest. The yellow-green eyes took a moment to focus on the figure in front of him and he jumped up, upsetting the teapot to his right as he leapt up on the table and hurriedly strode to the other end. The sudden movement disrupted the sleeping March Hare, who screamed in fright and grabbed at his ladle for protection.

"I found her wandering through the Tulgey Woods and thought you might like to see her." Chessur appeared to one side of the tea table and sat, drinking daintily from a cup.

"I told you I'd come back before you knew it, Hatter." Alice said with a smile.

"Aye, that you did, Lass." Tarrant Hightopp said with a gaily insane laugh – one that Alice had missed. "And you've come back on an absolutely splendid day!"

"I have?" Alice asked, her eyebrows raising in amusement.

"Why, yes! Don't think I have forgotten, my dear girl! Today is your half-birthday!"

"It is indeed." Alice agreed, after thinking for a moment. "I am exactly twenty-three and a half today."

"And your hair still wants cutting." Tarrant countered with a cheeky smile, before hopping off the table and patting his pockets to find a crumb Upelkuchen so that she'd be the right size once again. Handing it to her, he waited until she stopped growing before throwing his arms around her and giving her a hug that he'd been wanting to do for some time. "Welcome back, Alice."  
Returning the hug, Alice chuckled into his hair. "Thank you, Hatter." She murmured.


	2. What To Do?

"And then I met a strange little man named Hung Li." Alice had been regaling her tales of China to her four friends, all of whom listened with rapt attention, with the occasional tea cake being thrown about. "Reminded me somewhat of the Knave."

Tarrant shuddered involuntarily. "How mortifying!" He exclaimed. "To think of someone like Stayne being in the Overland… it's mind-blowing!"

"That is of course, if you had a mind to blow." Chessur piped up, his grin stuck on his face. "Unlike you, Tarrant, who has so little mind left that it's a wonder you're not a gibbering mess."

If Chessur hadn't been as mad as he claimed, he would have known better to keep his mouth shut. Tarrant's eyes flamed and he rose from the table threateningly, pointing a spoon at the still-grinning cat. "Watch ye mouth there, ye frumious slurvish." He said warningly. "Ye'll be wantin' teh go now before Ah string ye up by tha' tail o' yours an' make a hat out of ye."

"Hatter!" Alice said, putting a hand on the Hatter's arm to calm him from his rage. Tarrant looked down at the girl and felt himself instantly calm down. His eyes returned to their usual yellow-green and he sat back down in his chair.

"I'm fine." He said slowly, not looking at Chess. "Alice… do tell us more of your adventures."

"More of Hung Li?" Alice asked, knowing it was silly to pursue the reason of Hatter's rage. When Tarrant nodded she stirred her tea thoughtfully. "Well, he was a bossy sort… never took no for an answer… just like the Knave. He wanted a passage to England, but Lord Ascot thought it wise not to allow him. He could have easily been a pirate or some such. Sure enough, we found out from one of the dockhands that he was wanted in China for stealing from the Emperor. He'd been looking for a clean getaway."

"The slurking shukrn!" Mallymkun cried, waving her hatpin rapier about. "Did he get caught?"

"The last I heard… no, he hadn't… but that was three months ago… who can really say?" Alice said, taking another sip of her tea. She sat there thinking for a few minutes. "Lord Ascot has asked me to take over the company…"

"Take over?" Hatter put his tea cup down and stared intently at the girl in front of him. "You mean to own this company? How marvellous!"

"It is, rather…" Alice agreed. "The only problem being that if I choose to accept, then I may not be able to return to Wonderland for months – perhaps even years – at a time."

"But…" Hatter, for once, was at a loss for words. "Must you take over the company?" He asked softly. "We've missed you here, you know. You belong with us."

"Oh, Hatter… no one knows that more than I do… but this company was my father's dream. This was one of the impossible things he thought of… and since he's been gone, I've been able to make it happen. If I don't accept Lord Ascot's offer, then the company might just run itself into the ground." Alice stirred her tea again. "He cannot keep running the company since an accident has left him incapacitated."

The Hatter was silent, thinking over Alice's words. He'd sincerely hoped that the next time she came to Underland, she'd stay forever. Mirana had told him not to keep his hopes high, as they might be dashed unexpectedly. He'd never expected something like this to hurt so much. He looked up when he felt a small hand on his arm.

"Tarrant… I've been granted as much time as I like… to choose whether or not I want to head the company… I'd like it if I were able to stay… to sort through my jumbled up thoughts." Alice looked at him imploringly. "Would you come with me to Marmoreal so I may confer with Mirana?"

By Jove, she looked so pretty, her large brown eyes pleading with him. Slowly, he nodded, knowing it would be silly to not agree with her. She was the reason they were all now free of the Bluddy Behg Hid after all, was she not?

"For a girl who doesn't slay, you've come a long way…" His disposition brightened. "I made a rhyme!" He said, clapping his hands together. "You really have grown up, haven't you?"

"Only physically." Alice replied. "I still believe in a place call Underland, where Flowers and Animals talk, there are potions that make you shrink and cakes that make you grow…"

"Where Cats can smile." Chessur added.

"And Jabberwockies are slain!" Mallymkun continued.

"And my real friends are its inhabitants." Alice finished, looking at the Hatter. She leaned forward and kissed his cheek, causing his pallid cheeks to turn light pink. "What do you think, Hatter… am I mad?"

Hatter paused for a moment and looked at a chocolate cake that had not been sampled or thrown. "All the best people are." He answered, looking up at her, catching her smile. He smiled back, still a little upset by this turn of events that had told him that Alice was not here to stay like he'd hoped.

"Will you come with me to Marmoreal?" Alice implored again. The Hatter nodded. If he were to spend as much time as possible with his friend, he'd better start right now.

"We shall begin our journey to Marmoreal when the sun comes up." He said. "It is far too late now… it's even past Brillig!"

"That's a splendid idea!" Chessur said, his grin reappearing on his face. "Shall I accompany you, or shall I pass on the message of your imminent arrival at Marmoreal?" At the Hatter's glare, he hurriedly evaporated his body until only his head remained. "I shall inform the Queen… I'm sure she will be overjoyed to see you again, Alice…"

With that, the Cat's head disappeared in a whirl of grey smoke. Alice looked about the table, realising that dark was falling quickly. Hatter noticed her looking and managed a grin at her. "Come, come… we must rest well for our journey tomorrow." He said suddenly, getting up from the table and leading Alice toward the windmill. "I'm living with Thackery while I am in these parts… otherwise I'm usually at the White Castle."

"So, you've been accepted into your old job as Hatter to the Queen?"

"Of course… she's told me she missed my wonderful creations." The Hatter's chest puffed out proudly. "You should see all the wonderful hats I've made, Alice! Come! I will show you some!"

Alice followed her friend into the windmill with a smile. Walking up copious amounts of spiral stairs, which made her dizzy by the time they reached the top, they entered a small room that was filled to the brim with material, mannequins and hats. Oh, the hats that were housed in that room! They varied from every colour of the rainbow to colours that Alice had never even imagined. She picked up a felt bonnet made of the softest blue colour she could think of and ran her fingers over it in amazement. Hatter stopped to look at her with the hat and smiled, shuffling his feet a little.

"I made that one for you, you know…" He said softly. "I made it to match your dress that you were wearing on your last visit." He ran his thimbled and bandaged fingers over the exquisite embroidery around the edges.

"Oh, Hatter…" Alice was at a loss for words. "It's beautiful…" She whispered finally.

"Perhaps you can wear it on our journey tomorrow?" He asked hopefully.

"I shall!" Alice turned to give him a hug. "Oh, thank you, Hatter! It's marvellous, magnificent and …" She paused, thinking of another word beginning with the Hatter's favourite letter. She smiled. "And much muchier than any of the hats I have in Overland."

The Hatter returned her hug, the grin on his face almost breaking his face in two. "Then you will like the travelling cloak I made to match?" He asked, turning to pull an article of clothing off the closest mannequin. Made from the same material as the bonnet, it matched perfectly. Alice let the material slide through her fingers before turning to gaze at the madman before her.

"It's beautiful, Tarrant… I love it." She reached up to kiss his cheek again, once again bringing the pink tinge to his cheeks. She let a small laugh bubble over her lips. "Have I embarrassed you?"

"No…" The Hatter said a little too quickly. "But it is nice to be complimented in such a manner." He looked around his workshop and stopped. Where was Alice to sleep? "You will take my bed." He said suddenly. "It is by far more comfortable than the couch or the chair."

"But where would you sleep?" Alice inquired. "I cannot take your bed and leave you to sleep on the couch, Tarrant. You're taller than me… the bed is yours."

Although the Hatter tried to argue that she was a guest and therefore she should have the bed, she countered that he was a guest in the March Hare's home, to which he couldn't find a reasonable rebuttal. In the end, he found himself tucking a blanket around Alice's small form on the couch, making sure she was entirely comfortable before he readied himself for bed.

"Good night, sweet Alice." He murmured.

"Good night, dear Tarrant." He thought he head Alice say in the darkness before he let sleep carry him away to dreamland.

333

As the sun raised its sleepy head and turned the sky from navy to orange to pink to blue, Alice awoke from a sound slumber. Taking a minute to regain her senses, she looked about the room as sunlight streamed in the window. Her eyes coming to rest on the bed, she smiled slightly as she saw its occupant still sleeping soundly, his orange hair mussed from excessive turning.

Quietly getting up, so as not to wake the Hatter, Alice crept across the floor, pausing with each creaking floorboard to check to see that she hadn't mistakenly woken her friend. Coming to the door, she opened it as quietly as she could and slipped out onto the landing.

Once down the bottom of the spiral staircase, she ducked her head so she wouldn't hit it on the low ceiling. From the little kitchen, she could hear the March Hare hopping about as he tried his hand at cooking for himself and Mallymkun. Smiling, she made her way to the entryway, ducking just in time to miss a flying pancake that stuck itself to the door with what looked like green mud.

"Good morning ,Alice!" Mallymkun said cheerfully as she peaked out from her hidey-hole in a broken tea cup. "Don't let Thackery bother you, he's trying a new recipe!"

"So I can see." Alice replied with a smile. "What are you making, Thackery?"

"Spinach scones!" Thackery cried as he threw a pepper grinder at the already chipped-beyond-repair bowl. Alice looked at Mallymkun and hid a smile before dipping her finger into the bowl and tasting what the Hare had to offer. Cocking her head to the side thoughtfully, she regarded the strange taste in her mouth.

"It needs more pumpernickel, Thackery." She said after a minute. The Hare yelled something unintelligible in Outlandish and ran to the cupboard to find some. Mally shook her head disdainfully.

"You'll have created a monster now." The mouse ducked a splash of the mixture and jumped down from her hiding place. "Hatter!" She cried, scurrying across the room toward the figure who had just appeared in the doorway. "You've slept in."

"Only the sleep of one at ease, Mally." He said with a smile. Alice noted that he was already dressed in his usual attire and had brought her cloak and bonnet down. "And I dare say we should be off, Alice… before Thackery decides to blow up the kitchen."

"A very good idea." Alice agreed, letting the Hatter tie the bonnet and cloak around her. "Let us be off…" Her voice dropped to a whisper. "I don't fancy waiting to eat spinach scones… not for breakfast at least."

"Quite right." Tarrant exclaimed. "We shall be off then, fellows!" He offered Alice his arm. "I shall give your regards to the Queen."

"Fairfarren!" Mally said, waving as the two exited the door. She watched them disappear over the hill before turning back into the house and rushing to rescue a rocking horsefly from being cooked in the unappetizing mixture before Thackery decided to bake it.


	3. A Journey And Advice

"Alice?"

"Yes, Hatter?"

"Tell me more of your travels."

They'd been walking in silence for a time, watching the flowers open up to greet the morning sunlight and the animals go about their daily lives. Alice was quiet for a moment. "What would you like to hear?" She asked finally. "You've heard about my travels to China." She looked at her friend with a smile. "What about India… did I tell you about India? Where there are men who play music to snakes and make them dance! Where women wear the most colourful clothes and carry baskets on their heads!"

"Baskets on their heads? Why would they do such an absurd thing?" The Hatter was amazed. It was always said that Underland was the maddest of all the Lands, but places in the Overland seemed to even strike _him_ to shame! "What about this business? What sort of things does it trade in?"

"Oh, all sorts…" Alice said with a smile. "Whatever people want to send to a different country, we'll take. The most common items we take are materials and tea." The Hatter met her gaze, a wondrous, child-like innocence and excitement alight in his eyes. Alice chuckled. "Yes, Hatter… we have tea up there. But we have no Hatters who are quite as accomplished as you."

Her compliment struck a chord in Hatter's heart. He was reminded how much he missed Alice when she wasn't there with him in Underland. "Alice?" He asked quietly. "Do you miss Underland when you're away?"

"More and more so every day." Alice replied. "I miss the wonderful sights, the adventure, my friends." She paused. "I miss you most of all, though."

"Then why don't you stay?" Hater asked suddenly. "We care for you much more than those gallymoggers up there." Alice chuckled slightly. "Well, we do! You have scoundrels proposing marriage and business left right and slightly off-centre! You visit countries that make Underland seem sane! It's all very well that you want to continue your father's six impossible things, Alice, but we _miss_ you. _I_ miss you."

"You miss me?" Alice asked, a faint pink tinge appearing across her cheeks. "How much do you miss me when I'm not here, Hatter?"

"I miss you enough to beg the White Queen for a vial of Jabberwocky blood so that I might follow you to the Overland." Hatter said, without thinking. As soon as his mind caught up to his mouth, he clapped a hand over his mouth and blushed a furious red that clashed horribly with his hair. Looking around, he noticed that Alice had stopped walking a few paces behind him and he turned to face her.

"You… wanted to follow me?" She asked.

"Aye." Hatter said quietly. "The White Queen… she convinced me not to go… said you'd be back, just like you promised." He lapsed into silence as they began to walk again. "Alice?"

"Mmm?" Alice was somewhat lost in thought over what the Hatter had said.

"If you were to go back to Overland…" He started, unscattering his thoughts before forging ahead. "When would you return?"

"Return to Underland?" She mused. "How long would you wait for me, Hatter?"

"I would wait forever and a day until you were back in your proper place among all us mad folk." Hatter replied. "Until you were back here with me."

"If I were to go back to Overland, I'd return here before you knew it, Hatter." Alice said to reassure him, and also to reassure herself. "There is only so much stiff upper-lip and properness I can take before I find I might just go gallymoggers myself."

The Hatter smiled before taking the woman's hand in his own as they walked once again in companionable silence. Alice squeezed his hand reassuringly in return and smiled at him before turning her thoughts to things that she'd left behind: the dull and boring life of a businesswoman, her mother, her sister, Lord Ascot.

Hatter on the other hand was contemplating how nice it felt to be in the company of Alice. The girl he'd known for years, the girl who brought more vibrant colour to Underland – her Wonderland – with every visit she made. Yes, Little Girl had grown up, had become a Big Girl, but that didn't matter. She was still Alice, the same caring and wonderful Alice that he'd grown so fond of… perhaps even… what was that word? The White Queen had mentioned it to him at one point when they were discussing Alice… ah, that was it… Love.

He stopped his thoughts right there. Was that it? Did he _love_ Alice? He felt his eyes go large as he even contemplated the idea. He was very fond of her, certainly. No matter what size she was, she always carried a bit of that curious Little Girl who had stumbled upon his and Thackery's Unbirthday Tea for Mallymkun.

"_Hatter!_" he voice cut through his thoughts and he shook his head clear of the cobwebs. He turned his gaze to Alice who had a smile on her face. "I was asking how far away we are from Marmoreal now?"

Hatter looked about, looking for some sign as to which could answer her question. His gaze was drawn to the top of a small hill and his grin widened on his face. "Why, we're just at the southern edge of Trotter's Bottom." He said. "How time does fly when with companionable companions."

"Indeed." Alice agreed. "But do tell me, when did Time grow wings and learn to fly?"

"I haven't the slightest idea." Hatter replied. "But with a question like that, you ought to belong here."

"I belong here much more than I belong in Overland." Alice replied, slipping easily into the conversation they had left off an hour ago. "I feel so much more comfortable with my thoughts."

Hatter chose to say nothing in case he got carried away by the tide of his own jumbled thoughts. But after they made their way over the crest of the hill, he pointed toward the White Castle of Marmoreal that shone brilliantly in the early afternoon light.

"Oh, it's just as beautiful as I remember." Alice sighed, a smile on her face that made Tarrant's heart ache. "It will be so good to see everyone again."

"And they will be glad to see you…" Chessur's disembodied voice said just ahead of them. The two companions watched as the Cat's body formed in a swirl of slate grey smoke. His grinning face appeared last. "The White Queen has been just about having conniptions when she heard you have returned."

"I do hope she's all right." Alice replied.

"As mad as could be expected." Chessur assured her, floating just ahead of the two companions. "She has ordered a meal for you both, as I assume Tarrant was in too much of a hurry to think of breakfast for you both?"

"That is true…" Tarrant harrumphed. "But Alice wanted to see the White Queen."

"And you wanted nothing but to help her of her quest isn't that right, Tarrant?" How the Hater would have liked to wipe that smug grin off the damnable Cat's face. "How very noble. Well come along then, we must hurry so as your food doesn't go cold."

The three travelled in easy silence until they'd reached the gates of Marmoreal where they were met by a large bloodhound who seemed to be waiting for them.

"Bayard?" Alice asked. The dog cocked its head to the side, its tongue lolling out.

"No… I am Zeta, Bayard is my father." The dog said in a female voice. "You are Alice… you slayed the Jabberwocky."

"I did." Alice said humbly.

"The White Queen awaits you in the throne room." Zeta said. "I have been asked to take you there."

"This is where I leave you…" Chessur said by way of leave. "I have things to attend to…" With one last grin, he disappeared from sight. Alice exchanged a look with the Hatter who merely looked a little more comfortable now that the grinning Cat had disappeared from view. Hatter had not been comfortable around Chessur for some time now since the Cat had expressed interest in his beloved top hat.

The two followed Zeta into the White Castle and through to the throne room, where the White Queen sat regally, waiting for her two friends to grace her with their presence. When she saw them enter the room, she jumped up and rushed toward them as ladylike as she possibly could. Clasping Alice's hands within her own, she smiled.

"Our Champion has returned!" She said with a large smile. "Oh, Alice… it has been so long."

"Good afternoon, your majesty." Alice curtsied as decently as her now-ripped and dirtied underclothes would allow. Hatter cursed himself quietly for not thinking to make her a nice travelling dress to go with the cloak and bonnet. The White Queen seemed not to notice.

"Oh, you both simply must rest and eat before we have our chat. You both look quite dead on your feet!" She waved a hand and a prim and proper butler appeared to her right. "Please escort Champion Alice and Tarrant to the dining lounge, Bailey." She asked.

"Of course, madam." The butler called Bailey said agreeably, before motioning that Alice and the Hatter should follow him. "We have had our finest chefs prepare a meal for you both to be eaten in the dining lounge." He said. "Then the maids will escort you both to your rooms where you can change and rest after your journey."

"Thank you, Bailey." Alice said with a smile. As they sat, a handful of handmaidens brought bowls of fruit, plates of pudding and a large joint of lamb for the two to eat. Alice certainly hoped she would be introduced to the food before she got a chance to eat, as she had once on one of her earlier encounters into Underland. Waiting a few moments to see if she was indeed going to be introduced to the joint of lamb or the pudding, she began to stave off her hunger pangs.

After a delicious meal, the handmaidens showed Alice to her room in the Palace. The bed was soft and Alice felt full as she drifted off into an afternoon nap.

333

"How has Underland been since the last time I was here?" Alice asked as she accepted the cup of tea that the Hatter handed her. "It seems ever-so peaceful now."

"I'm glad you asked." Mirana, for she always asked to be called her given name when in private, said. "Ever since Iracebeth and Ilosovic were banished to the Outlands, the Underland has seemed brighter… the surrounding have regained their colours in rejoicement. It has been peaceful." She nodded with a sigh of contentment. "Though, I suppose you could say rather dull, don't you think, Tarrant?"

"With no Jabberwockies to slay and no Red Queens to usurp the throne? Aye, you could say it has been rather dull here in Underland." Hatter agreed, his usual smile on his face. "I was tellin' Alice about how we've all missed her around here."

"On, indeed. It hasn't been the same without you Alice." Mirana addressed the girl. "But now that our champion has returned, just like she said she would, I think we're due for a celebration… a party of sorts?"

"Oh," Alice fumbled with the tassel of the coat she was wearing in place of her own tattered undergarments. "About that, Mirana… I don't know if I'm to stay indefinitely this time…"

"Why, whatever do you mean, Alice?" Mirana asked, a little surprised and put off by this announcement. "Do you not like it here in Underland?"

"Oh, I do! I really do! And I wish that I could stay here forever and ever!" Exclaimed the girl. "It's just…" She looked helplessly at the Hatter.

"Is it these travels that Chessur has told me so much about?" Mirana asked kindly. "He told me that you've travelled to a place called China. And that you have been asked to take over this… company?"

"Yes." Alice replied. "But I'm not sure if I want to… it was my father's company and was bought by his business partner when my father died…" She paused. "And now that Lord Ascot has been critically injured, he wants me to take his place at the head of the company."

"Alice, dear, remember what I told you on your last journey here." Mirana said kindly. "It is up to you to make the right decision, but whatever you choose… we will all be right here behind you."

"But I don't want to make that decision!" Alice told her. "I want to make my father proud, I want to make my mother proud… I want to do right by Lord Ascot, but…"

"But you have to live for yourself, Alice… it's your life. Not theirs." Mirana said, patting her hand over Alice's and looked at the younger girl.

"It's just that…" Alice paused, looking at Mirana's immaculate white hand. "As I told Hatter… this company was one of my father's six impossible things." Mirana smiled at the saying that she had told Alice when she had been a young girl.

"What were the six impossible things that your father thought of before breakfast?" She asked. Alice looked up. No one had ever asked her to recite that which her father had told her in their nightly chats when she was a young girl. She considered the question for a moment, letting her father's voice fill her head.

"One: To extend Kingsley Exports to foreign shores; Two: To do business as far as Siberia; Three: To travel the world in under six months; Four: To meet with royalty; Five: To discover a new land; Six: To visit Alice's Wonderland." She stopped herself when she heard herself recite the last impossible thing. "My father… my father would have loved it here." She said in a small voice.

"I'm sure he would." Mirana said kindly. "Remember, Alice… those we love, who are no longer with us… they live in here." She patted her hand against Alice's breastbone. "Your father is with you wherever you go, because you choose to remember him." She wiped at the tears that had appeared in the corners of Alice's eyes. "And if you think about it, you've accomplished almost all of your father's six impossibles."

"I have?"

"Yes." The Queen nodded wisely before counting off on her fingers. "You've extended the company to foreign shores, you've traded with China, which is a neighbouring country of Siberia, you've met royalty – not just in Underland, but in Overland too, I've heard Chessur tell, you've re-discovered Underland, and because you father resides in your heart, he has seen Underland – your Wonderland – through your eyes."

Alice thought about it. Looking between the Queen and Hatter, who had been silent during the exchange for fear of looking a fool to want to comfort the woman he might love. "Hatter? What do you think?"

"I've always thought it unwise to disagree with a Queen." He said, slowly. "I may be mad, but I am not stupid. What Queen Mirana says rings true. The resounding toll of the bell is that this is your decision and yours alone. If you want to stay…" He looked at the Queen, who had a slight smile on her face. "I, for one, would not have any objections." He shuffled his feet. _In fact, I would probably Futterwacken until the end of Underland._ "But if you choose to leave…" He trailed off and looked at the pincushion strapped to his wrist.

"I know it's to be my decision… I just wish I could make the right one." Alice said, before rising from her chair and nodding to her companions. "I think I'll take a walk."

"Feel free to go anywhere…" Mirana said kindly. "I daresay you might find the Tweedles out in the garden if you looked hard enough."

Alice smiled a little and nodded before exiting the room, leaving Mirana and the Hatter alone, thinking that the only inhabitant she really wanted to talk to right now was the one who made her thoughts clear but filled her lungs with a sweet smelling smoke. An inhabitant who was no long in Underland.


	4. Underland Without Alice

"Have you told her how you feel, Tarrant?" Mirana asked, watching the door close after Alice left the room.

"How I feel, your Majesty?" The Hatter looked slightly perplexed. Mirana had to smile at his feigned confusion.

"Tarrant, I've known you for many years, through the ups and downs of Underland, through good and through bad. It's quite obvious to me that you're infatuated with our Champion."

Hatter blushed scarlet at the suggestion of it all. "Majesty… I do not know what you have heard, but…"

"Come, come, Tarrant. You're in my private company. We've been friends since we were children. You simply must call me by my given name. None of this 'majesty' business. You're among friends." Mirana said gently. "It's obvious how you feel for Alice. Have you told her?"

"No Mirana…" Tarrant sighed. "I've confessed that I miss her greatly when she's gone, but I've never admitted to how I feel about her… I am fond of her… When she left so suddenly on the Frabjous day, I thought my heart would shatter…"

"Tarrant… I do not wish to see my oldest friend broken hearted. I believe that the first time you ever met Alice, you let her take a piece of your heart. You've since suffered many losses… your family, your welfare, your home… slowly you've rebuilt your life since the awful Horunvendush day… but that piece of your heart is still missing." Mirana looked at the Hatter with softness in her eyes. "Tell her how you feel… it may fill that hole." She laid a hand on her friend's chest and looked into his eyes. "You said so yourself, Tarrant… you may be mad, but you're not stupid. I do not want to see you driven permanently to madness instead of your short spurts."

"Mirana… my friend… I…" He was silent for a spell, trying to gather his thoughts. "She says she misses me whenever she leaves us… but what if she doesn't return my feelings?"

"Oh, Tarrant… she does." Mirana smiled. "I've seen the way she looks at you when she thinks no one is looking. And it was you she told that she'd be back. On the Frabjous day, until she had to fight the Jabberwocky… she stayed at your side."

"But does she love me enough to stay in Underland with me, Mirana? It seems every time she leaves Underland, she takes another little piece of my heart with her." The Hatter looked so forlorn, sitting in his chair, that it tugged at Mirana's heart.

"Tarrant… go to her. Tell her how you feel. You dance around the subject almost as well as you do the Futterwacken, but I can tell you… it's not nearly as joyful." Mirana smiled kindly. "You may find her walking around the garden."

Alice had indeed been walking around the gardens, speaking at length with a bed of Tiger Lilies about how wonderful indeed it was to be back in Underland. The flowers had giggled, not unkindly, when one of them had brought up the subject of the Hatter. It wasn't uncommon knowledge for the inhabitant of Underland to know how close the pair of them were.

"Oh, Tiger Lilies… if only I knew how to tell the Hatter my feelings for him." Alice said as she sat on the ground near the tittering flowers. "It would be so much easier. I'm finding it easier to talk to flowers than to him."

"Tell him! Tell him!" The flowers chanted. "Please stay! We have missed you since you've been gone. You make a wonderful addition to Underland and if you stay you will make us happy as well as the Hatter."

"I wish the decision was that easy…" Sighed Alice.

"Underland without its Champion is like a night without stars, you know…" Said a familiar voice above her head. Alice looked up to see a brilliant blue butterfly fluttering about before it landed on her shoulder.

"Absolem?" She asked quietly.

"Of course it is… who else would I be?" The butterfly said haughtily. "The Queen is right you know… it is your decision and your decision alone as to whether you stay here. In Underland."

"Wonderland…" Alice murmured, memories flashing through her head. "But what if I go… will everything stay the same?"

"No day is the same as the next, you silly girl." Absolem admonished.

"I know that." Alice replied. "But I don't think I want to take the chance of another threat to the Underland that I love."

"There'll be no threats." Said a voice behind her. She turned to see the Hatter standing there, his hands worrying around the brim of his hat which was uncharacteristically held in his hands. "The Oraculum would have told us so."

"Hatter… I…" Alice bit her lip.

"Alice… will you walk with me?" The Hatter said suddenly, cutting her off. "I have things I wish to discuss with you."

"Of course, Hatter…" She got up from where she was sitting beside the Tiger Lilies and brushed off her skirt. She shushed the flowers as they giggled quietly amongst themselves and walked toward the Hatter. "What did you want to speak to me about?"

"A… private… matter…" He managed to say, his cheeks colouring pink. Alice raised her eyebrows and nodded, leading him down a garden path that was currently empty of anyone but themselves. "Alice… I…"

"Hatter, please…" Alice pleaded softly. "It's me… Alice. Tell me what's on your mind."

"You are, Alice!" The Hatter suddenly blurted. "You've been on my mind since I saw you on the Gribling day! Even though you were barely eight inches tall and couldn't remember a thing about Underland… I have been thinking about you."

"I've been thinking of you too, Hatter…" Alice said softly.

"No! You don't understand! I _like_ you, Alice… as hard as it may be to believe that a madman like me could ever have feelings for another… I _like _you. Perhaps even _love_ you. You're Underland's Champion… my closest companion… I've missed you more than Time himself!"

Alice was silent, listening to the words that exploded forth from the Hatter. Inside, it felt as though her heart had begun to do the Futterwacken, slowly, carefully, as if this were all just a strange, wonderful, marvellous dream she were having.

"I wanted to come and find you when you left Underland. I begged the White Queen to give me a vial of the Jabberwocky blood, but she refused. She said that you would return when the time was right, but months passed and you didn't come back! I was worried. I thought that, despite what you said, you'd forgotten about me… perhaps found someone whom you loved up there… someone you would one day be married to and I would have missed my chance!"

Alice was shocked into silence. She stared at the Hatter, whose eyes had gone fiery orange and his voice had taken on the thick Scottish brogue that it did when he was agitated or excited. "You… love me?" She asked. The Hatter's eyes slowly turned back to the usual colour and he swallowed nervously. He hadn't meant to lose his head like that.

"I… I…" He stuttered. "If you leave again… I fear I might just shatter into a million pieces." He finally stated, looking at his shoes. "You're the only one who's ever tried to understand me, Alice… it makes me feel…" He trailed off. Alice touched his arm gently.

"Whole again?" She offered. Looking at her, the Hatter nodded. Alice smiled shyly. "I've felt empty inside since I left Underland. I… felt like something was missing. A piece of me."

"Aye, Lass… That's exactly how it feels."

"Shall I tell you a secret?" Alice whispered. Hatter nodded slightly. "I feel the same way." A pink blush coursed over her cheeks. Hatter looked at her, amazed. His whole being felt like it had on the Frabjous day when they had watched the Red Queen be banished to the Outlands. "Hatter?"

"Yes, Alice?" Before he could ask what the girl wanted, he felt her lips press tenderly against his. As if she were passing all of her emotions to him in the simple action, Tarrant felt his whole being lighten, as if it were going to float away on a slight breeze. He pulled away from her and, despite his heart Futterwackening all over the place; he had the decency to look surprised. Alice just smiled at him and he couldn't help but smile back.

333

"Tarrant Hightopp and Champion Alice to see you, your Majesty." Bailey the butler announced, before opening the door wider to let the two in. Mirana looked up from her seat by the window and smiled up at them.

"You've confessed to each other, then?" She asked, although she already knew the answer, just by the way the two were holding hands. Alice merely bowed her head to hide her smile. Hatter grinned as only he could and nodded, squeezing Alice's hand.

"Alice, why do you hide your face? If you're happy, you must show it to the whole of Underland!" Mirana exclaimed, coming forth from her chair and lifting Alice's chin with her hand. She smiled at the girl and kissed her on the forehead, before turning to Tarrant and doing the same thing. "I give you both my most sincerest blessings."

"There still is the question…" Alice managed to say, as they thanked the Queen profusely. "I do need to return to the Overland… see that the company remains in good hands before I turn it over to a colleague…" She turned her gaze to Hatter, who looked quite forlorn, although they had discussed this on the way to see the Queen. "Hatter… know that I love you… but there are a few things that need to be addressed in the Overland… my father's company… my mother and my sister. Lord Ascot." She cupped his cheek in her hand, much like she had when she had told him all the best people were mad. "Know that I love you and only you, but I have to do things right."

"I understand, Alice…" Hatter nodded sadly. "But… do stay another day… If I lose you now, it will be too much."

"Of course I will!" Alice nodded. "Remember, Hatter… time travels differently to Time… I'll be back, probably before you can count how many ravens are indeed like writing desks."

"I will hold you to that promise, you know." Hatter said with a smile. "Alice?"

"Yes?"

"Call me by my name?"

"Of course… Tarrant." Alice smiled and they share another kiss, the Queen looking on with approval.


	5. Time Has Stopped, I'll Wait Forever

"Would you like some tea, Alice?" Tarrant asked, not waiting for an answer as he poured the liquid into the empty teacup on the blanket to Alice's right. She smiled at him, offering him a tea cake from a batch that one of the cooks had made for their private little picnic tea party. "It will be so lonely here without you, you know." He added, taking the offered tea cake.

"You'll still have Mallymkun and Thackery to have tea with, Tarrant…" Alice replied, her eyes looking sad. "Remember, four years passed up there and only eighteen months have passed down here… if I manage to get the company going on its own, I could be back here within three to six months of Overland time… it could be tomorrow that I return!"

"You speak so wisely for someone who claims to be as mad as the rest of us." Hatter said with a small smile on his face. He touched a hand to her cheek. "But length of time that we are apart won't make any difference in how much I will miss you."

"Nor will it make a difference in how much I will miss you, my dear Hatter." Alice replied, edging closer on the blanket. "The very thought of leaving makes me miss you very much." Hatter opened his arms and embraced her lovingly. "But I cannot just leave my family wondering where I have disappeared to… they do have the right to know."

"I'll still wait forever and a day for the day that return to me, Alice…" Tarrant murmured, stroking her long blonde hair. Alice smiled and looked up at him.

"I promise that I will not be gone that long." She said, leaning up to kiss his cheek. Raising her hands to the clasp at the back of her neck, she undid the necklace that her mother had given her four years ago. "Hold out your hand, Tarrant…" The Hatter obeyed, opening his hand to receive the necklace that Alice dropped into its centre. "My mother gave me this necklace when I was nineteen years old…" She said. "My father gave it to her as a wedding gift." The Hatter's eyes went wide.

"Alice…"

"I'm afraid that if I have to go to sea again, it may come loose and I will lose it forever… I would very much like if you took care of it for me." Alice forged ahead, interrupting the Hatter's reply. "It would mean the world to me, Tarrant."

"I…" Hatter looked at the necklace and nodded. "I'll hold it very close to my heart until you return to me, dear Alice." Alice smiled and helped him fasten it around his neck where it was hidden from view by his enormous bow tie. He fumbled about in his pockets until he found what he was looking for. "Since I am holding onto your necklace until you return, would you hold onto this?" He drew his hand out of his pocket to reveal a beyond-large ring.

"What is it, Tarrant?" Alice asked, looking at the ring in wonder. "It's much to large to be a ring for normal-sized people."

"Quite right…" Tarrant agreed. "But it is just the right size to be a ring for a too-small giant."

"Where on earth did you get it?" Alice proffered her wrist for Tarrant to slip the enormous, though very light-weight ring, for that was the only place it would fit.

"It was an unfinished piece I had begun to make. It wasn't finished when you left Underland last time. The Red Queen ordered me to make a ring for her new favourite, Um…" Alice shuddered at the mention of the act she had invented to slip into the Red Court. "I made the band, but never put the engraving onto it that the Red Queen wished. Since she never ordered me to finish it her way, I made it into a creation of my own…" Tarrant fell silent. "Do you like it?"

"Despite the fact that the Red Queen made you make it?" Alice asked. Tarrant blushed and nodded. "Oh, Tarrant! I love it! It's beautiful! Thank you!" She raised her eyes from looking at the ring-bracelet to look deep into the Hatter's eyes. Kissing his lips, she smiled chastely at him as he continued to blush at the complements.

"Tarrant! Alice!" A voice called from across the courtyard. "Tarrant! Alice!"

"Yes, Nevins?" Alice asked, looking up to see the White Rabbit hurrying across the green grass. "What is it?"

"The White Queen has requested to see you in her chambers!" Nevins McTwisp twitched his whiskers and looked up at the two as he came to rest beside the blanket. "I'm so sorry to interrupt your picnic, but the Queen was quite insistent! Also, I believe congratulations are in order?" The Rabbit's nose twitched with curiosity. "Are you returning to Underland for good, Alice?"

"I will be once my business it finished in the Overland, Nevins." Alice smiled. "Very well, if Mirana wishes to see us, lead the way!"

"It would be a pleasure." The Rabbit began to hop off as Tarrant and Alice began to pack up their picnic things. "Oh, do hurry! The servants can do that!" He said over his shoulder when he looked back to make sure they were following him.

"Patience, Nevins." Alice smiled. "We'll be there in a minute."

"I wonder what Mirana wants to talk to us about before you leave?" The Hatter mused aloud as he picked up the picnic basket. "She has already given us her blessing."

"Perhaps she wants to formally say goodbye." Alice suggested as they walked hand in hand toward the Palace. They walked in easy silence, their hands clasped together and their heads full of ideas about what Mirana might want with them both before Alice left for the Overland.

They entered the Queen's private chambers to find Mirana sitting in her chair, surveying her kingdom. "You wanted to see us, your Majesty?" Tarrant asked, for the door was still open. Mirana drew her gaze away from the window and smiled.

"Ah, you're both here… I have a gift for you both before Alice leaves us to take care of the Overland." She said, holding out two identical white boxes that were tied with an iridescent blue ribbon each. Handing one to the Hatter and one to Alice she nodded at them to open them.

Alice untied the bow on her box and opened the lid, lifting out an ornate silver looking glass. She looked quite surprised to see that Tarrant had gotten the same thing. Mirana chuckled lightly at their confusion.

"They are Meeting Glasses." She said simply. "Alice, Tarrant… I have seen how much you care for each other and I wanted you both to be able to communicate whilst apart. I made these Meeting Glasses for you."

"Oh, Mirana… they're beautiful… how do they work?" Alice asked, sliding her fingers over the silver frame.

"Simply look into the mirror and say the other's name. Their reflection will appear to you in your hand mirror and you may talk to each other." Mirana explained. "I also have one, so that if either of you wish to speak to me and you or I are not in the palace, you may find me wherever we may be."

"Oh, Mirana…" Alice came forward and flung her arms around the Queen who was quite content to embrace the younger girl back tightly. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, Alice…" Mirana replied softly. "It's the least I can do to repay you for slaying the Jabberwocky." She put a hand into the pocket of her skirt and drew out a vial of purplish liquid. "Now, here is a vial of Jabberwocky blood to take you home."

Alice took the vial and turned back to the Hatter who had gone very quiet. "Tarrant, you know I will return to you. This is where I belong. Here, in Underland. With you."

"I know." Tarrant smiled. "And I will wait, just like I have promised."

"The quicker I go and get everything done, the quicker I can come back to be with you." Alice said, holding his hand tightly. "I will speak to you through the Meeting Glass at every opportunity I have." She wrapped her arms around his neck in an embrace and gave him a sweet kiss on the lips which he readily returned. "I love you, Tarrant Hightopp."

"And I love you, Alice Kingsley." The Hatter took off his hat and bowed to her. Alice curtsied to him and the Queen, before flicking the cap off the vial and swallowing the horrid tasting blood.

"You never know…" She said as purple smoke began to rise from her feet and swirl about her body. "I may even find out why a raven is like a writing desk."

Tarrant and Mirana watched as she slowly faded from view, into the cloud of whirling purple smoke. When it had cleared, they were left alone in the room. Mirana turned to the Hatter and placed a hand on his arm. "She will return, Tarrant. And you are welcome to remain here until that day."

"If it is all the same to you, your Majesty… I would rather be alone with my thoughts for a while…" Tarrant said formally as they opened the doors to the chambers and exited. "I'd rather not be closed in while waiting for her to return."

"As you wish, dear Tarrant." Mirana agreed. "But you mustn't let yourself go. Always hold onto the knowledge that Alice will return to be with you. I have utmost faith that she will."

"You are indeed a wonderful creature." Tarrant smiled slightly. "I bid you fairfarren, your Majesty." With that he turned and made his way down the stairs of the palace and began to make his way back to Thackery's windmill.

"Fairfarren, Tarrant Hightopp." Mirana waved him off, watching the man's top hat get smaller and smaller in the distance.

333

Alice crawled out of the rabbit hole feeling as though she were just a shell and had left her being behind in Underland. Standing up and dusting her skirt free of dirt and grass, she began to slowly trek back to the main house where Lord Ascot was awaiting her decision. She looked around at her surroundings, a little crestfallen at the dull colours of her own world – the world where she didn't belong. Looking up at the house as she approached, she saw Hamish Ascot running down the stairs toward her.

"Alice! There you are! Where have you been?" He asked. He grabbed her hand and began to drag her up the stairs and into the foyer. Alice took a glance at the grandfather clock as she passed and turned her gaze to Hamish's.

"Hamish, I've only been gone a half hour. I was taking a walk in the grounds. I told you that I had to think things through. What did you think I was going to do? Leave your father in the lurch?"

Hamish's face coloured a nasty beetroot colour and he frowned. "It is not a lady's nature to talk back to a Lord such as you do."

"It's a good thing I'm not a lady then, isn't it, Hamish?" Alice countered, glad that the Meeting Glass was secured in her coat pocket.

"Alice, I know you're an apprentice for my father, but even you must realise that if he gave the company to you, he would be claimed a madman!" Hamish said. "Women belong in the home, raising the children, not off gallivanting around the world on a ship!"

Alice glared at the man whom she had almost married. "I know you… you've been after the partnership since your father proposed my apprenticeship." She said in a low voice. "Were you hoping that if your father offered you the company, you could sell it to foreign shores for a tidy profit?"

"I would do nothing of the sort to my father's company!" Hamish retorted.

"You mean to _my_ father's company." Alice said. "It's a good thing I've decided to stay for a while to make sure pompous gallymoggers like you don't try to run it into the ground."

"I… what?" Hamish looked at Alice as if she'd grown two heads. "You? Stay and take on the company? A _woman_!?"

"Times, they are changing, Hamish Ascot." Alice said to the man. "You just don't want to believe it." She stormed up the stairs, pushing past Honoria as she did so. The woman made a face at the back of Alice's head and turned to join her husband on the floor below.

"I'd wager you're glad you didn't marry that mad woman." She said, watching the top of the stairs. "She's quite the strange one." Hamish ignored her and stormed up the stairs.

"Mother!" He shouted. "Mother!"

Marilla came running out of her husband's room and shushed the man angrily. "Hamish Alexander Ascot! There is no need for a raised voice in the house!"

"Mother!" Hamish said, ignoring his mother's admonishments completely. "This is madness! It's financial suicide! To let that madwoman head the company!"

"Hamish!" Marilla spoke sternly. "Alice has shown more brains than _any_ of your father's colleagues with this company. She knows exactly what needs to be done. I will _not_ have you insult her in mine nor your father's company, thank you." She turned a stern look to her son. "It is your father's decision in the end."

Hamish seethed.

333

Alice sat at Henry's bedside with one of the older man's hands clasped in her own. "Lord Ascot, I cannot take over the company." She whispered. "But I also cannot let it go into the hands of someone who may sell it off to foreign shores."

"Dear Alice…" Henry sighed, squeezing her hand slightly. "You've matured well beyond your years. Why do you not want to take over the company?"

"I've had time to think about it… I would much rather see the company be entrusted to someone like Lord Ellingsworth. He has a strong business ethic and was also a close friend of yours and my father's." Alice said. "Remember on our first voyage… I told you about my father's six impossible things that he thought of before breakfast?"

"I do indeed." Henry nodded.

"I've come to realise that I've fulfilled most of those six impossibles, sir… Five in fact. I'm no longer needed here… I've seen the world. I've done more than a girl my age should and I have a suitor waiting for me."

"A suitor?" Henry's eyes widened. "Indeed…" He thought for a minute. "Well… Alice… I'm pleased. Both for you and your beau." He patted her hand. "I promised your father that I would look out for you when he was gone. You've been like the daughter that I never had. All I want is to see you happy."

"Oh, Lord Ascot…" Alice smiled and hugged the man tightly. "You've been more of a father and a friend than I could have ever asked for. Thank you."

"Not at all. In fact, thank you, Alice." Henry smiled. "I was wondering if I was asking you too much… but you have shown me maturity beyond your years. You have indeed found your… what did your friend call it? Your muchness."

Alice smiled winningly at the man and bent down to kiss his cheek. "Perhaps I will see you again soon someday. Unless I move away with my husband-to-be."

"Good luck to you, Alice, my dear. Be well." Henry said by way of farewell. Alice waved as she exited the room, heading for the stairs where Charles was waiting.

"Ready a sulky to take me home, please Charles." Alice asked politely. "I do not wish for the grandeur of a carriage this afternoon."

"Of course, Miss Kingsley." The butler turned swiftly and exited the parlour to summon a stableman.


	6. Goodbye, Overland

The journey back to Kingsley Manner was a quiet one. Alice was left to her thoughts as the stableman drove her back to her house, knowing well enough not to speak unless spoken to. When they reached the front door, Alice thanked the driver quietly and stepped down from the sulky after refusing help. Looking up at the house and sighed.

"Alice! Where have you been! Andrew came back an hour ago and told me that you had sent him home! What's happened?" Helen Kingsley rushed down the stairs as hurriedly as she could. "Is Lord Ascot all right?"

"He's injured, mother. He can't move from the chest down since being bucked off a horse." Alice replied. Helen raised a hand to her mouth, clearly mortified. "He offered for me to take over the company."

"He _what_?" Helen looked affronted. "He offered you the company? But… but, you're only a girl!"

"I've grown up more than you know, mother." Alice said waspishly, taking offence at her mother's words. "He seemed to think I was mature enough to handle it on my own."

"_Please_ tell me you turned him down."

"I don't see how it's any of your business, Mother." Alice replied. "It's Father's company, one that I was made an apprentice to! I've travelled the world with this company, creating footholds so that England may trade! If you can't see that, then I certainly have nothing to say to you. You've had nothing but discouraging things to say to me since I turned down Hamish's proposal. Let me live my own life!" She turned on her heel and stormed up the stairs to her room, leaving Helen in shocked silence.

333

The next day, Helen hoped to see her daughter at breakfast, seeing as she had opted to eat in her room instead of being in her mother's company the night before, but she was sadly disappointed. Alice was still angry with her presumptions that Helen wanted her to turn out just like Margaret – married to a handsome man, have two children, live out the rest of her days as any other girl her age should.

Breakfast came and went, and by lunch time, Helen had had enough. Climbing the stairs, she knocked softly on Alice's door. "Alice? Alice, dear, please come down for lunch. Please. I apologise for the things I said last night. I was just shocked by Lord Ascot's accident. I wasn't thinking." She knocked softly again and tried the handle, surprised when the door opened.

Entering the room, she saw Alice heaping clothes into a small travel bag. "What are you doing, dear?" She asked softly. "Are you going away somewhere?"

"I'm going away from people who wish to live my life for me." Alice said, her voice rough from the tears she had shed. "I'm leaving England. I may not return, so do not wait for me." She snapped the travel bag shut and looked at her mother for the first time in eighteen hours.

"Oh, Alice…" Helen bit her lip. "I didn't mean the things I said. Please don't take them the wrong way. I'm sorry. It's just the very thought of a woman running a company is… absurd."

"Many things are absurd, mother. And impossible things happen every day." Alice replied. "You've always said that my head is in the clouds for much of the day, but for the last four years, my feet have been planted firmly on the ground. I've been an apprentice for Father's company, I've see more of the world than anyone my age has. I've learned new things, new cultures, and I've come back. Do you see, I'm not a little girl anymore… I'm Alice Elspeth Kingsley. In six months, I'll be twenty-four years old… it's time to let me go."

"My darling girl, you are all that I have left of your dear father… you understand how hard it is for me to let you go. And when you do go, I won't know what to do with myself. I need to know that you will be well cared for."

"I can take care of myself, Mother." Alice said wearily. "I've already proved that. Lord Ascot has given me his blessing to leave the company, I've accomplished Father's six impossible things. I need to get to work on my own. And I can only do that myself. I can't have you do it for me."

"Where will you go, Alice?" Helen asked, sitting on the edge of the bed, watching her daughter carefully. "America? China? India? Australia?"

_Underland_… Alice thought. "It's a new land, mother. You won't have heard of it. I'll be travelling there to meet a gentleman I met on the sea voyage."

"A _gentleman_?" Helen's jaw dropped open in shock, but she quickly composed herself. "Alice… Are you engaged? Have I met him? Is he a proper gentleman, not just some riffraff off the street?"

"_Mother_!" Alice shot Helen a nasty look. "He is the perfect gentleman. A little mad like me perhaps, but that's why we work so well together." She pressed her lips in a straight line. "You won't meet him at any point, I don't believe. He's in the new country at the moment, waiting for me to join him. We're not officially engages, but he did give me this lovely bracelet." She thrust her arm out to show Helen the ring-bracelet. Helen went a little misty-eyed.

"He must care for you to have bought something this exquisite…" She trailed off, looking at the intricate designs that were carved into the metal.

"He made it." Alice said quietly. Helen's eyes widened. "He made it all himself."

"He must be very talented."

"Oh, he is… he can make all kinds of things… hats are his specialty." Alice said fondly.

"Oh, Alice…" Helen smiled. "You look so happy. I haven't seen you this happy since before your father died. This gentleman must bring out the best in you."

"He does, mother… do I have your blessing to go."

Helen wiped a stray tear from her cheek. "Of course, Alice…"

Alice threw her arms around her mother neck and hugged her tightly. "Thank you…" She whispered. "Thank you."

Letting go of the embrace, Helen left her daughter alone to go to her own rooms to think for a while. Alice was becoming more and more like her father every day… her stubbornness and her imagination; she'd definitely gotten from Charles.

333

Alice sat at her writing desk, thinking over the letter she was writing to her sister. In it, she explained she'd met someone wonderful and was going away with him, she would write when she could. She explained about the company and how she hoped that Henry Ascot would see to it that someone would head the company as well as him or their father had. Finally, she told her sister that she loved her very much and loved her nephews and niece very much. She gave her regards to Lowell, afraid that if she wrote any more, she would tell Margaret about her husband's infidelity.

Signing off the letter, she pulled the cord that would signal a servant that they were needed. Within a minute, a young girl was at her bedroom door, curtseying. "Yes, Miss?"

"Annette, would you be so kind as to get one of the messenger boys to run this letter to my sister at Manchester Estate?" Alice asked, smiling at the young girl. Annette curtsied again, taking the sealed envelope in her hand.

"Certainly, Miss Kingsley." She replied, waiting until Alice's door was shut before turning to make her way down the stairs. If she had paused on her short trek downstairs, she would have noticed Joseph the doorman opening the door to two dark figures. But she didn't pay much attention to anything that wasn't asked of her and so, she entered the scullery and looked at the young boy sitting on the floor, eating his meagre supper of bread and cheese and drinking his tin mug of milk. "Timmy, I need you deliver a letter for Miss Kingsley." Annette said. "Finish your supper and take this letter as fast as you can to Miss Margaret's house."

Timmy bolted down the rest of his supper as fast as he could. He never got to deliver messages. He was usually employed to shine the boots and feed the chickens. Washing his hands clean, he took the letter from Annette and raced out of the kitchen door, silently and stealthily as only a child of ten could.

333

Back up in her room, Alice double- and triple-checked her travel bag to make sure that everything was in readiness for her journey to Underland, when there was a knock at her bedroom door. Hurrying across the room, she opened the door a crack to see the vivid blue eye of Hamish Ascot.

"Hamish!" She said, opening the door wider. "What a surprise… what brings you here at this hour of the afternoon?"

"Don't lay such silly games, you madwoman." Hamish said. "Yours and your father's insanity must be catching, because my father has just told me that he actually offered to put the company in _your_ name. To make you chairwoman of an international trading company!"

"He did offer that to me, Hamish…" Alice said, not liking the look in his eyes. "But I refused. I have things I must see to, my own life to lead-"

"Don't try and play your maddening mind games on me, Alice." Hamish said nastily. "No woman would ever last five minutes as a chairwoman of a company. I told you yesterday that a woman belonged in the home, raising the children!"

"Hamish, I don't know where this has all come from, but you are not welcome in this house any longer." Alice said. "Leave now, before I call for the authorities."

"Why would they believe a crazy woman like you?!" Sneered Hamish. "Your persuasive powers might have worked on my father, Alice, but they will _not_ work on me. I'm here to make sure you go to a place where you can think all the insane thoughts you like and no one will care… at least you won't be a danger to society any more!" Alice brought a hand to her mouth. "Don't act so surprised, Alice. You knew this day was coming! I've been watching for years, and father has told me of your stories of this wonderland and talking animals and rubbish. I'm amazed you haven't been committed long ago."

"You pompous, self-righteous guddler's scut!" Alice spat. "You are trying to commit me? What on earth did I ever do to you?!"

"It wasn't what you did to me, Alice; it's what you've cone to my father's mind! Right now he's babbling on about six impossible things and a rabbit in a waistcoat. He's not in his right mind because of you! And for that, I've called Dr Khat to commit you!" He leered at her. "I'd say it's about time before you turn anyone else's minds to mush."

Alice slammed the bedroom door hard on Hamish's hand, causing him to howl in pain. "You're pathetic." She said through the door. "You're a blight on the name of Ascot, Hamish. You won't get away with this!"

In answer, he heard the lock on her bedroom door click from the outside. Pressing her ear to the door, she heard Hamish talking to her mother.

"You must let me take her to be tested, Lady Kingsley… she's been filling my father's poor mind with rubbish, and when I tried to explain the situation, she slammed the door on my hand!"

Alice blinked her eyes free of tears before running to the safety of her bed. Weeping into the pillow, she cursed Hamish Ascot's name to the high heavens, wishing upon wish that she could escape to Underland with the blink of an eye.

"Alice? Alice?" Came a small voice from inside her coat that was draped at the foot of the bed. Alice looked up, her eyes red from crying and her cheek blotched. _Of course!_ She thought. _The Meeting Glass! How could I have forgotten so easily?_ She dragged her coat closer to her and opened the pocket, pulling out the box that housed the mirror. Opening the box, she lifted out the mirror and gazed into it. There was the reflection of the White Queen.

"Mirana…" She whispered. "Oh, Mirana…" She felt a fresh lot of tears begin to run down her face. Mirana looked concerned.

"Alice… oh, my dear, why do you cry?"

"Mirana… Hamish Ascot is trying to get me committed." Alice sobbed. "Into an asylum. He's called on my house and is waiting for a doctor to come to take me away… What am I to do?"

Mirana raised a hand to her lips. "Oh, Alice… I heard your wish upon the winds. The trees brought it to me… It's all right… I'll think of something…" She looked lost in thought for a few minutes. "How long until this doctor gets there?"

"I don't know…" Alice said, wiping away her tears to no avail. "If I know Hamish, he doesn't bluff, so it may be any minute."

"Alice, I am sending Bayard to you." Mirana said hurriedly. "I will send him through the Rabbit Hole and when he returns with you, you will be able to go through the door which opens up to Snud. It is very close to Marmoreal."

"Bayard? He knows where I am?" Alice asked quietly, afraid if she spoke up, Hamish, or whoever he'd stationed at the door, would overhear her and think she was talking to herself.

"The Mirror gives off a unique scent. I put it on there in case such an emergency were to arise. Stand strong, Alice… I will give Bayard a vial of Pishsalver so that you may ride of his back. Take only what you need the most. I will be waiting for you."

With that, the Meeting Glass went blank and all Alice could see was her own reflection. She wiped her eyes free of tears and thought for a moment. Hoping that Bayard would arrive before the doctor, she scrambled to the wardrobe to see if there was anything she most desperately needed.

Her gaze was drawn to a small wooden box on the shelf above her head. Reaching up, she pulled it down and sat it on the ground before opening it. Inside was an old envelope containing a letter that had been written to her by her father whilst on one of his many travels before he died. Also in the envelope was a formal family photograph of Alice, Margaret and their parents when the girls had been very young – Alice guessed she had been about six. Her gaze moved from the photograph to the old leather money purse that her father had given her to play with and before she could think, she slipped the letter and the photograph inside.

Hearing footsteps on the stairs, she looked up quickly, the hair standing on the back of her neck with nervousness. "She's in here, Doctor." She heard Hamish said.

"My word, Hamish… let me attend to your hand before anything else! It looks like a boxing glove!"

"It's fine." Hamish said.

"My boy, it is _not_ fine. It's probably broken." The doctor fussed. "Look, she's locked in her room, isn't she? She'll be _fine_. Come… let me bind it for you at least."

Alice breathed a sigh of relief as the footsteps echoed away from her bedroom door. Quietly closing the box, she looked out of the window at the darkening day. Evening was coming and Bayard wasn't there. She shuddered. What if he didn't get to Overland in time? What would happen then? Would she be committed? Or would the doctor test her first, to see if Hamish's accusations were true?

A loud bark erupted from the shadows at the base of the house. Alice opened her window and looked out, peering into the darkening gloom. "Bayard?" She called quietly. "Bayard, is that you?" She heard a loud panting from down below.

"Yes, it's me, Alice… come! We must hurry!" Bayard called up. "Come on down."

"I can't, Bayard! Hamish has locked the door from the outside! I can't get out of my room!"

"Well it's a good thing he stopped at Witzend to bring me along, isn't it?" Alice looked down at the sill and saw Mallymkun standing there. The mouse smiled and held up a small dress. "The White Queen spoke to Hatter… he made you this when she told him that you would be using Pishsalver."

"Oh, Mally! Am I ever-so-glad to see you!" Whispered Alice, taking the dress from the dormouse. "You are the champion of this quest!"

"We will be champions together, Alice… now hurry! That slurvish shukrn will be back with that doctor person any minute!" She pulled the little string bag that hung from her belt and produced a bottle of navy blue liquid. "Drink up! And put on the dress!"

Alice looked about and then down at her wrist at the ring-bracelet, sliding it off her wrist and putting it carefully in the leather purse. Leaning out the window, she threw the purse down to the ground. "Bayard! These are the things I need to take with me… Mally… tie it to his collar?" Mallymkun nodded and raced down the vines that had allowed her to climb up to Alice's window in the first place. Alice uncorked the bottle of Pishsalver, drinking the potion down in one gulp, forcing herself not to gag at the horrid taste.

Within seconds, everything about her room was gigantic. Carefully climbing out from under her dress skirts, she pulled the miniature dress over her head. Looking up, she felt her stomach plummet at she realised that the window sill seemed to be _miles_ above her head. What was she to do?

333

"Alice? The Doctor has come to see you…" The lock on the door clicked and Hamish entered the room slowly as though Alice were going to rush at him with a fireplace poker. Looking around the room, it took him a moment to realise that Alice was no where to be seen. His blue eyes clouded over angrily and he stormed toward the bed, kneeling and looking under it with one swift motion. Seeing no one there, he got up and strode over to the closet, wrenching the door open. He growled in frustration when he couldn't find her.

The Doctor surveyed him with interest. "You say she was in here, Hamish?" He asked.

"Yes!" Spat the man. "I locked her in here after she broke my hand in the doorway!"

The Doctor nodded in understanding. "Well, it doesn't seem that she's here now, does it?"

But Hamish wasn't listening. He'd noticed Alice's clothes on the floor from where she'd been standing when she shrunk. "Here! Look! She's left her clothes! She's wandering around here… naked!" He tore the curtains apart, looking for the girl who had seemingly escaped.

"Yes, it does seem that way, doesn't it, Hamish?" The Doctor said soothingly. "Why, perhaps she shrunk herself to hide form you… or perhaps she grew wings and flew out the window!"

"The window!" Hamish declared, leaning out against the cool night air. "She must have climbed out and run into the woods!"

"In only her underclothes? Come now, Hamish… I doubt Miss Kingsley is as silly as that."

"You've met her Doctor." Hamish seethed. "She's not right in the head!"

"Hamish, the last time I saw Alice Kingsley was at her father's funeral. She had an active imagination then, which I daresay was because she had just lost her father. It happens." The Doctor turned to leave. "Now, Hamish… I believe it would be wise for you to go home and get some rest. It's been a long day of excitement for you and it may do you good to go and have a brandy and sleep it off."

"But, Doctor-"

"_Goodnight_, Hamish." The Doctor stood by the door, motioning for Hamish that it was not time to leave. "We've taken up enough of Mrs Kingsley's time. I'm so sorry for the inconvenience, Helen…" He murmured, giving her a reassuring smile.

"Not at all, Chester, I daresay all this excitement over his father's accident has left poor Hamish a little high strung." Helen replied, giving Hamish a _Look_. Hamish harrumphed and stalked out of the room.

"After you," The Doctor said politely, indicating to the door and stepping aside for Helen to pass through. She smiled and exited her youngest daughter's bedroom. The Doctor surveyed the room with a sweep of his eyes until his aqua gaze came to rest on the clawed foot of the brass bed. "Come now, Alice… I daresay you need help." A large grin broke out over the doctor's face and Alice emerged from her hiding spot.

"Chess!" She cried. "How marvellous! You're a wonderful actor!"

"You don't have to tell me that." The Cat winked, offering his hand so that Alice may climb onto it. "I'm going to put you in my pocket and take you downstairs to Bayard and Mallymkun." He slipped the miniature girl into his breast pocket and closed the bedroom door behind him. "If you wait, I'll join you on the journey home. Quiet now. Duck your head."

He walked down the stairs with Alice in his pocket and came to the door. Offering his hand to Helen, he kissed it tenderly. "Helen, be sure to say hello to Alice for me, next time you see her." He said with a charming smile.

"Oh, I will, Doctor…" Helen smiled. "Thank you for managing to get Hamish to go home."

"Not at all, my dear lady." Chess bowed smartly. "Can't have these young folk going around just spouting any old thing about their childhood friends being mad now, can we?"

"Certainly not." Agreed Helen. "Goodnight, Chester."

"Good night, Lady Kingsley." Chess tipped his hat and began to walk down the entrance steps and onto the cobbled road. Once the shadows had swallowed him up, he let Alice out of his pocket and returned to his familiar feline self, grinning from ear to ear.

"Oh, thank you, Chessur!" Alice said gratefully. "You're the most marvellous cat in all of Underland."

"Come now," The Cat said with a lazy grin. "All in a day's work. Bayard and Mallymkun will be waiting for you." He allowed Alice to climb onto his neck and he evaporated them both to where Bayard and Mallymkun were waiting.

"Alice! We thought you'd been taken!" Mally cried. "When you didn't come down the vines…"

"It's all right, Mally… Chessur here impersonated the Doctor." Alice smiled gratefully at the cat. "And he did a simply marvellous job at convincing everyone that he was the real thing."

"Come now, we can talk all we want when we're back at Marmoreal." Bayard said, lying flat to allow the three-inch tall Alice to climb aboard his back and hang onto his collar tightly. Mallymkun climbed up behind Alice and hung on tightly.

With a howl, Bayard began the long journey back to the Rabbit Hole.


End file.
